Arsenal are showing an interest in signing Atalanta defender Gianluca Mancini after reports of their scouting of the player first emerged back in November.

Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) write that Arsenal, Roma, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund are all ‘big fans’ of Mancini, and set to battle it out for his signature.

Arsenal’s interest has been public knowledge for a while now, with reports suggesting they were scouting him back in November of last year. The Gunners reportedly sent scouts to watch Mancini play against Inter Milan, and the centre-back impressed with a goal for Atalanta.

That goal is one of five the 22-year-old has scored this season, as well as providing one assist, a fantastic record for a defender. He’s a big threat in the air, and that makes him very useful for the Serie A side’s set-piece routines. You can see his goal against Inter Milan briefly from 1:52 in the below video:

Mancini is also strong in the tackle, and it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see Arsenal trying to sign a centre-back in the January window. Unai Emery has already confirmed that a defensive signing is a possibility, along with a left or right winger. We’ll see.